1. Field of Art
Aspects of this disclosure are related to systems for controlling the chirp of an optical signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the context of the present disclosure, “chirp” refers to the manner in which the optical frequency changes over time. Chirp may also refer to the manner in which the optical frequency changes over time within the period of an optical pulse. An alternative definition of chirp is the time dependence of the instantaneous frequency of an optical pulse.
Several methods have been used in order to control the chirp of a pulse including: optical fibers, grating pairs, prism pairs, chirp mirrors, and chirped fiber Bragg gratings. For example, prior art methods have adjusted the chirp of a pulse by changing the distance between a pair of gratings or a pair of prisms.
There are several optical techniques in which the chirp of an optical pulse is an important parameter. When the chirp of the optical pulse is important, an optical system is often designed with a specific optical chirp. This is often accomplished with a chirped fiber Bragg grating. It is often advantageous to change the chirp of an optical pulse. This sometimes accomplished by using an optical switch in combination with a variety chirped fiber Bragg gratings with different chirps, or by changing the environment (temperature, tension, voltage) of the chirped fiber Bragg grating. Other mechanical methods of adjusting the chirp are also used, such as changing the distance between a pair of grating.
The present techniques have problems with reliability, speed, flexibility, and power handling. This present disclosure aims to address these issues.